See One Thing: HKG-The Dragon's Back

 

I made it back alive! 

It was another memorable trip to and from Hong Kong over a weekend.  First off, no, I didn't clear my upgrade for the long...long....outbound flight.  For a brief second on Friday it was looking possible, but then a group of four booked into business class on a prior flight misconnected and had to be re-booked in the last few available seats.  Disappointing, sure, but honestly it went fine.  I had a main cabin extra seat with unlimited leg room, watched some movies, and slept about half the way there. 



Feet up, painful comedy on tap.

I'd seen this coming, so I geared up for the flight.  I had my Briggs & Riley cabin bag with me, so aside from takeoff and landing, I had it in front of me to use as a footrest, which worked great.  I also panicked a few days out, and ordered a Turtl travel scarf, which is basically a neck wrap with a plastic insert that supports your neck.  It honestly worked pretty well, and after a few more flights, I'll  probably do a real review.  I didn't have the usual sore neck when I woke up this time around like I usually would dozing in economy.

8 hours down, 8 to go....

This was my 6th time through Hong Kong, and the more I go, the more I appreciate the city.  It's one of the densest places on earth, and yet because of the surrounding waterways and parkland covered by steep green hills, doesn't feel overwhelming. 



Hong Kong Island from the Sheraton.  No complaints.

As usual, I took the airport express into town when I arrived, checked in at the Kowloon Sheraton.  I'd paid some points to upgrade to the Towers part of the Sheraton, which is a kind of hotel within the hotel on the high floors.  It has a separate check-in, lounge, and elevators, as well as some other fringe benefits. 

Video from the Towers elevator- Hong Kong skyline & Nathan Road

Since the timing worked out, I enjoyed hanging out with some other flyers from the US there for the fare deals as well.  After the Sheraton happy hour, we moved over to Ozone, which is the 'tallest bar in the world' on top of the Ritz Carlton tower.  Always good for one drink, but not much more as you're there for the view, not the prices. 



100+ floors up for a round of cocktails with new friends at Ozone

The next day, after the Towers Breakfast buffet at the hotel, I headed out to try something new.  Instead of my regular walk around The Peak, I got more adventurous and went for the Dragon's Back trail hike at Shek-O Country Park. 

This park is significantly further away from Kowloon than the peak, but you can still get there via the MTR in less than an hour if the bus connection is fast.  It took me a bit longer on the way out, for reasons I'll shortly explain.

The trail itself starts from a trailhead with signage on Shek-O road.  From there, it's a steep-ish hike up the path, including rocky areas and carved stone steps.  There are several places to stop and take in the view as you climb.  Part way up the initial climb, the trail branches and there's a shelter and benches.  To do the basic dragon's back, continue straight at this point.  As I went I noticed that the path is periodically marked with blue paint on the rocks. 

Eventually, the trail reaches the ridgeline of Shek-O, and proceeds through several rolling hills towards the peak, the "Dragon's Back" if you will.  At this point, panoramic views of the entire back side of Hong Kong island are constant, with the blue water all around.  Below, you can see the Shek-O golf course and Shek-O beach, and eventually Big Wave Bay. 

It's about 30 minutes, if you're moving along, to Shek-O peak.  There's a significant incline, and uneven terrain, so 30 minutes is enough to get some exercise in.  From there, you can continue on to either the trail down to Big Wave Bay, or go to the next trail intersection, and take a circle path that will eventually bring you back to the original trail, where you can get back to the road. 

There were plenty of people also doing the hike, but it was by no means crowded, especially since it was mid day on a Monday, and the weather was unseasonably cold and windy, even for winter in Hong Kong.

 

The view from Shek-O peak-

I seriously considered going on since it really was beautiful, but I knew at some point the jetlag was going to hit me hard, and it was threatening to rain.  I started back down the way I came, and stopped for a bit longer at a clearing to relax and take in the view by myself for a few. 

So, how to get there...

From Kowloon, take either the MTR to Admiralty, or if you're in the market for a little more walking and a trip on the water, take the Star Ferry and then walk to Central or Admiralty.  From there, take the blue 'Island Line' MTR toward Chai Wan.  Get off at the Kei Wan, and take the number 9 bus to the trailhead.  It's the most popular stop on the bus, so likely you can just follow along with everyone
else.

You have to take the Star Ferry at least once per visit.  That's the rule.

MTR to Chai Wan

I, however, misread the directions, and took the MTR all the way to Chai Wan.  Realizing what I'd done, I just went outside and got a cab to the trailhead.  It was faster, but probably cost an extra US $6 or so.  On the way back, I took the bus to the MTR as planned, transferred at Admiralty, and took the red line back to Tim Sha Tsui outside the Sheraton.

The Dragon's Back trailhead on Shek-O road.

It was definitely getting to be time for a nap, but by this point my adventuring made me hungry, so I wandered around Kowloon to see what looked good.  This part of Hong Kong is bustling, and the streets are lined with all kinds of stores and restaurants.  There's so many options, it's hard to pick.  I was making my way past Kowloon park when I saw a sign that looked familiar from my googling prior to the trip- for "Haiphong Road Temporary Market."



In and around Kowloon

I vaguely remembered something about the best....beef something... in Hong Kong for like $4, so I ducked inside.

The temporary market isn't so much temporary, as having been there for a long time, and isn't about to go away.  It's a mix of stalls selling all manner of vegetables, meats, and just about anything else, and on the lower level, a haphazardly laid out food court area serving mostly locals around crowded plastic tables and chairs.

The food court at the 'temporary market.'

This is not a place for the faint-hearted, as it requires passing by food hawker stalls actively butchering pork and chicken (not so much actual live animals...just recently live animals) to get to the food court on the lower level.  Once there, I was immediately accosted by an overly friendly vendor who would eventually convince me to get his special beef noodle dish, and then sit with me while I ate.  He practiced his English, I had some delicious noodles and learned a riddle about whether to choose to face down a murderer, a fire, or a hungry lion.  Spoiler alert- go for the lion...for some reason...he was still working on that English, and my Cantonese is limited to one word, and I'm not sure I'm even saying that right.

I got back to the hotel in time for a quick cup of tea at the lounge, and then took my customary daytime nap to try and somewhat stay on schedule before my body would 'wake up' for the night.  All in all it was a full and satisfying day in the city.  I'd fully recommend the Dragon's Back hike, and will be keeping it in mind to do again.

From noodles at the temporary market, to high tea at the Towers Lounge.  Living the mileage dream.

Up next in a few weeks... the 'Scandi run' begins.  Copenhagen, here I come (at least 3 times)!

Travel safely & enjoy the journey,

~CruisingAltitude



Bonus feature- a very jetlagged vlog clip from the top of Shek-O:

The Flagship We've All Been Waiting For

You see this view??  This used to be my view each and every stop through LAX.  Now, NOT SO MUCH!

You know what?  I'm mad.  Do you want to know why I'm mad?  I know you don't really, but this is my blog and so I'm going to tell you anyway.  Prepare to be humble bragged within an inch of your life!

Yes, you're seeing this.  There's bacon.

The new Flagship Lounge at LAX's Terminal 4 is too nice.  Yes, dammit, you heard me. There is good food, and not just in the exclusive 'flagship dining' area, but on offer to everyone else as well.  There's an impressive self serve bar with Grey Goose, Hangar 1, Black Label, Woodford, Bombay, and all manner of fun options, as well as a bloody mary station, and non-alcoholic beverages including cold brew and an espresso maker.  Plus this week- custom, made to order Pho.  In case anyone was wondering- they had me at NOODLES.



Décor like JFK, food much better.

It's quite a bit better than the location at JFK, and that's saying something because JFK isn't at all shabby.


Frikkin' pho station.  For serious.

 

Food....

....And more food.

And here's why that makes me mad.  I'm mad because I've been carefully cultivating my disgruntlement with the new renovations to the terminal 4 Admiral's club for months.  MONTHS, I tell you.  Despite opening a new location in terminal 5, the loss of square footage in terminal 4 has been severely detrimental to the customer experience, and that's putting it lightly.  It's overcrowded, overrun, and not relaxing at all. 

You could go down to terminal 5, sure, but that's a decent hike, and even that has been crowded of late.  Instead, I've been taking the new connector over to TBIT and hitting up the KAL lounge on my priority pass.  This is no hardship, as I'm addicted to the (free) $1.99 spicy noodles there.  However, access there isn't open until 12pm, and Mrs. CruisingAltitude isn't a fan of the food offerings. 

This is all to say that now I'm left in a frustrating, angry-ifying quandary- the new lounge is legitimately wonderful, not quite beating out the Qantas lounge, but definitely trying to.  However, I'm only allowed in a few times a year, when I'm flying internationally since I'm perpetually buying double-deep-discount tickets to everywhere.

Livid, I am.  So.... I angry-scarfed down my custom made pho, maliciously drank (a couple) glasses of Bollinger champagne, and finally belligerently swiped a few bottled beverages from the self serve fridge, and eventually wandered out to face up to the Qantas lounge dragons at TBIT.

My diamond shoes are definitely a little tight, and I fully admit this is all ridiculous, but so is flying to Hong Kong for 48 hours, so what do you want from me?

More on all of that soon....

~CruisingAltitude

Then Go East....Far East....

Welcome to 2018, we're glad you're here! Before we get in the air, we'd like to go over some important features of 2017.**

It was a year full of new adventures, and not just a few miles flown.  As per usual, I went considerably out of my way to get my American/Oneworld status done, racking up those 100,000 miles.  It was a year for circling the world (quite literally), exploring foreign countries that are not so far off, plenty that actually are, and sharing travel experiences with family. 

 

If you're interested, you can check out some of the adventures here:

 

Havana Running (Cuba, of course)

 

Around the World in 80 Hours (Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Doha)

 

Yes, This Is Real Life (Doha, Amman, Colombo)

Whenever I'm questioning my plans, or debating which itineraries I might actually sort out, I put in the 'pro' column if I'll get to add a country to my 'visited' map I keep in my head.  Since I'm usually at the mercy of the major Oneworld deals and routes, I tend to wind up in the same places repeatedly- Hong Kong, Doha, Tokyo, etc.  So it can be exciting when there's someplace brand new.  

This year I added Cuba, Jordan (airport, it was quick), Finland, Estonia (check these out on Baby Flyer Blog), and Sri Lanka.  Not bad at all.

 

Sometimes, however, it's nice to play the hits.  That's why when I saw an impressive deal back to one of my favorites, and on the last weekend before last year's upgrades expired, I jumped on it.  36 hours in Hong Kong, here I come.  I'm even really taking this one 'old school,' and back-tracking to Dallas to catch the longest flight in American's network direct to HKG. 

 

I'm currently sitting in the lovely Qantas 1st class lounge in LAX before my flight, enjoying some Hamachi crudo and minute steak.  Life could be worse.  As an aside, I stopped by the NEW LAX Flagship Lounge as well.  Review of this soon!

 

 

As per usual, I'm playing the upgrade waitlist game for the outbound, but for a nice treat I was able to book the return via Tokyo Narita right into business class on my SWU upgrade!  So no matter what, I'll arrive back home in good shape.

 

So, what's a girl to do with two nights and a day in this fine city?  A few options come to mind...

 

 

I'm staying (again) at the Sheraton Kowloon, which has a top floor restaurant bar and lounge with a great view.  For what it's worth, people are always looking down on the Sheraton because in a strict sense it's outclassed by some of the other major chain offerings in Hong Kong- the Ritz, the JW Marriott, Conrad, and so on.  However, it keeps being my go-to for a few night's stay for a few reasons.  First- it's right on the Metro at Tim Sha Tsui, and has a shuttle from the Airport Express station at Kowloon.  Second- Even though it's sold as two hotels (the towers and regular rooms) you can usually use points to cheaply upgrade into a Towers room that comes with a high floor lounge with a very nice evening reception.  Third- There is a rooftop pool and spas that are great even in the rain.  Lastly- it's generally CHEAPER than the competition.  That alone puts it right up there. 

 

My suite at the Sheraton last time around.

This is all to say that setting up shop in Kowloon gives me some easy options before even going outside.  However, I fully intend to go outside.  I usually try to get out and take a hike or jog thought one of the parks each time I'm here.  In the past, I've done a morning jog around The Peak.  This time I may branch out....who knows. 

 

 

 And then there's the food...oh, the food....  This time, I'm in the market for some dim sum (of course), and want to find some traditional congee as well.  I think I've located a place that's near the hotel, and open until 2am.  This seems like a strange criteria, but here's the thing- flying to Hong Kong from the US essentially makes you nocturnal on arrival.  Your internal clock 'wakes up' around midnight, and if you're not looking to adjust, places open until 2 am are key.  Plus, Hong Kong is one of those "never sleeps" places.

 

So.... the bars are open until 2 or 3, congee until 2, and I think I found a dim sum place that opens for the day at 4.  Done and done.  A bit of day sleeping, some time in the pool, and it'll be time to head on out.

 

Thank various deities for international Uber.

 

As it turns out, I'm also not the only frequent flyer to think that this weekend is a great time to be in Hong Kong, so I'm looking forward to some meetups with other travelers and acquaintances.  All in all, it promises to be a good time....once I survive the 17 hour flight, of course.  Fingers crossed for the upgrade!!

 

Travel well,

 

~CruisingAltitude.

 

**Kudos to you if you get this reference.  

 

Mileage Runing 2017 Season Opener Preview: Best Worst Decisions

"Somewhere Up There"
(I keep getting distracted by how beautiful the colors are in this picture, and it's making this post hard to write!)

2016's mileage runs ended with a satisfying requalifying run to Quito wherein all the highs and lows of mileage running were had.  There were some beautiful flights, very nice planes, even nicer lounges, and also a fair share of delays and missed connections.  It was also bittersweet, as it was the last year of 'good old fashioned' mileage running, before the new requirements kicked in. 

In case you missed it, starting in 2017 AA has made some fairly drastic changes to their elite program, including adding a qualification level, making the elite tiers 25k, 50k, 75k, and 100k, respectively, as well as adding "Elite Qualifying Dollars" to the mix.  Under the basic letter of the law, this means to qualify for elite status, you ALSO have to spend 3, 6, 9, or 12 thousand dollars to reach your target level. 

This, as I've written about [HERE] is only the basic letter of the law applied to flights on American itself, which makes flying partner airlines a good workaround to those new spend thresholds if you know where to look.  My plan for trying out this new system is to scour the Oneworld airlines for highly discounted fares in premium economy and business class.  Because many of these fares do not originate in the US at all, this requires a healthy (err...I use that term flexibly) sense of adventure.

Speaking of adventure, let me tell you about what I've got on tap for February this year:

It all started with a seemingly innocent tip-off from another mileage running friend about a pretty lucrative premium fare on Qatar Airways.  The basic itinerary was from Columbo, Sri Lanka (CMB) to Doha, Qatar (DOH) to Boston (BOS) and back.  A good long haul, available on weekend dates, mostly on Qatar's brand-spanking-new a350, and in business class on top of it all.  Can't go wrong with that!

Qatar's a350 business class.  Yes, please.

Yup, that's a walk-up bar in the business class cabin.

But....do you see the issue yet? 

Yup, I live in neither Boston, nor Sri Lanka.  However, the flight was available at the discounted price on a very limited basis, and for just a couple of days.  So I went for it and figured those pesky details (like where the flights actually come from, and where they go to) would most likely work themselves out.  You know, like geography has a tendency to do, right?

Best worst decisions, indeed.



Why hello, beautiful.  I'll be seeing you soon!

Once I booked the tickets, I set about the task of getting myself to Colombo, and home from Boston.  What's worth noting here, is that in February I'm only doing half of the CMB-BOS-CMB Qatar itinerary.  Since it would be entirely too much flying for my 'real life' schedule to do LAX to Colombo, to Boston, back to Colombo, and then all the way back to LAX in one go, I booked the outbound and the return on two separate weekends several months apart. 

So now I needed to "position" to CMB to get this thing started, and then just get home from Boston at the end.  Boston was simple enough, but CMB proved to be a little stickier.  The issue is that to get to CMB from LAX on one itinerary turned out to be too expensive for a mileage run.  However, because of Malaysia Air's Oneworld hub in Kuala Lumpur, there were some cheap fares to Malaysia, from which it was a short and cheap award ticket using some of my Amex Membership Rewards points to CMB.  Done and done.

What's even better, is that the flights allowed us to plan a full day (er..12 hours) in Hong Kong, and a full day and night in Kuala Lumpur. 

 

Oh Hong Kong, I'll see you again soon, my friend.

 

For the record, these are two of my absolute favorite mileage run destinations.  They have it all- good quality airlines, fantastic airport lounges, workable public transport, plenty of hotel options, reasonable public safety, and in the case of Malaysia a truly awesome currency exchange rate to the dollar!  It's stopovers like this that make an insane itinerary like trying to fly around the world in 4 days seem maybe a tiny bit more like a vacation.  Or, is that just me?  (Yeah, it's probably just me)

Le Meridien, KL Sentral- $68

Yasss, KL!  A night out at one of the top hot spots can run you as little as $25, all in.

What results from this kind of split ultra long haul booking is that you are able to fly COMPLETELY around the world with one continuous set of flights.  The trips is booked on four separate itineraries, so I'm keeping everything crossed that things go smoothly, at least as far as CMB.  After that, Qatar will have to get me to Boston somehow, and once I'm back in the US, AA will one way or another get me home. 

To protect against misconnects, most of the itinerary has very long stopovers so hopefully even a several hour delay shouldn't make the whole thing implode.  As much as I love travel, the idea of being stranded in Sri Lanka at 3am doesn't sound all that great.

I say again, Best Worst Decisions.

Long layovers also mean time to enjoy the airports and lounges- like the Golden Lounge in KUL

In any case, this is what my 'around the world' mileage run looks like:

Flight 1- LAX-HKG on American (cross the Pacific)
12 Hour stopover in Hong Kong

Flight 2- HKG-KUL on Cathay Pacific
22 hour stopover in Kuala Lumpur

Flight 3- KUL-CMB on Malaysian Air
4 hour stopover in Colombo

Flight 4- CMB-DOH on Qatar
2.5 hour stopover in Doha

Flight 5- DOH-BOS on Qatar (cross Europe and the Atlantic)
5 hour stopover in Boston

And finally, flight 6- BOS-LAX on American

Simple, right?

Plus, it only takes 4 days.  This is also the moment when I realize I just booked a 4 day trip, and only one hotel night.  Oh well, I never was good at math.  As crazy as it sounds, I'm actually really looking forward to this trip.  It's an even bigger challenge than I've done in the past, and at least half of the flights are guaranteed to be in business class.  Plus it puts me well on the way to requalifying for my EXP/Oneworld Emerald status for the next year.

Then in June...I do it all again, just backwards and in heels (so to speak.)  However, that's an (even more convoluted) story for another time.

Fly Well,

~CruisingAltitude

Read the next chapter: Around the World In 80 Hours Part 1- In the Clear!

Lounge Destinations: The Wing

A drink with a view at The Long Bar

There's a problem with the Hong Kong airport, a big one.  That would be that there's simply too many great lounge options for the discerning Oneworld traveler.  I've been several times, and never make it to as many as I'd like, simply because I get sidetracked into not wanting to leave and waste time hiking through the terminal. 

A note on HKG departures generally if you're planning on coming to the airport especially early- check ahead to make sure your departure airline's desk is open.  American doesn't open until 3 hrs prior to first departure, and many other airlines are similar. If this will be an issue, remember that you can check in at the Central or Kowloon airport express stations!!  This will save you time, and they're open early!

The full list of lounges includes: The Cabin, The Bridge, The Pier & The Wing, as well as the Qantas  Lounge, which opened last year.

First thing's first, let's talk about the first lounge you're likely to stumble upon after getting through passport control- The Wing.

Getting there and getting in:  The Wing is Cathay’s flagship lounge at HKG.  It’s located in the main international terminal, just through the left side passport control.  After clearing, make a hard left down the hallway, before the food court and you can’t miss it.  If in doubt, just look for the life size cutout of a Cathay agent by the door.


Amenities at The Wing

Once you’re in, where to go: The Wing has two sides, business and first.  These are open to passengers flying same day in these respective cabins, as well as Oneworld elites.  Oneworld Sapphire travelers may access the business class side, and Oneworld Emerald my use the first class side.  Oneworld elites are also allowed one guest.  Both are worth a visit, but if you have access to the first class side, it’s REALLY worth a visit, possibly a long one. 

 

There are a few parts of this lounge that set it apart.  Possibly the most notorious, are the luxurious private “cabanas” that can be reserved on a first come first served basis.  The Cabanas are private rooms to relax and get refreshed before your flight.  They are the size of an average W Hotel room, and include a daybed, desk/vanity, bathroom, and most importantly, a waterfall shower and soaking tub.  The rooms are stocked with all the necessities- tolietires, towels, hair drier, etc. 

 

Soaking tub

 

Waterfall shower- the cure for any jetlag

 

Daybed area

If all the cabanas are taken when you arrive, they will put you on the list for the next available one, and give you a pager to take with you.  If you don't have time to wait, they also have very nice shower rooms that I've generally never had to wait for.

Shower room

 

Amenities

 

Rainfall shower

 

The Wing on the first class side also includes a full service complimentary restaurant, named ‘The Haven."  The Haven has both table service, with a full menu, and a buffet if you'd rather take a sampling.  I really appreciate when lounges have this option, because you may not have time for a full service on a layover, or may simply want to enjoy other parts of the lounge as well.
 

 

I'd just like to say that I love breakfast in Hong Kong?  It's one of the only places in the world where you can have congee (a Chinese rice porridge) and dim sum, next to sausage, baked beans, and toast. 

Of course, after your tea, eggs, and congee, you'll naturally have to top it off with a visit to the swanky champagne bar. 

 

 The bar features several nice bottles on ice all day, accompanied by plush red leather couches.  The drinks are self-pour, but there's generally also a server there to take care of you.

There are a couple other features worth a visit if you have the time.  The additional benefit of the layout of this lounge is that the business and first sides are just connected by a hallway/gap with a welcome desk, so you can walk freely between them if you have access to both.  Just have you boarding pass or Oneworld elite card with you in case anyone asks. 

On the business class side, there's a noodle bar that serves made to order soups, as well as 'The Long Bar" that is arguably the best place to sit and watch airport ops.  It solves my one complaint about this lounge, which is that the views of the ramp are somewhat obstructed by the opaque railing
along the edge of the lounge when you're in most of the seating.

First Class Lounge Seating



Semi-private seating/workstations

The lounge can be high traffic at times as well, so it's nice to have plenty of options throughout the space for seating.  You can also grab your food and drink from the first class side, and take them over to the Long Bar for the best of both worlds. 

In any case, you can (and should) easily enjoy several hours here before or between flights.  Check ahead to see where your departure gate will be, since some may require taking the train connection.  Even though HKG is a very large airport, it's well laid out and easy to navigate.  The agents at the lounge are always very helpful, and will make sure you know where you're going next!

Enjoy your visit, 

~CruisingAltitude

Also, I'm very excited about our new blog project- The Baby Flyer Blog !  With the new addition to our traveling family, we've been learning the ins and outs of travel with young children, and want to use what we've learned to help others travel more smoothly, so please have a visit and let us know what you think! 

This post is part of Budget Traveler's Sandbox' Travel Photo Thursday.  Make sure to pay them a visit for some inspiring travel stories and ideas!

Also in this review series, check out Lounge Destinations: The Red Suite